Board game apparatus



Oct. 27, 1970 INVENToR FRED P. FINERTY Oct 274 1970 F. P. FINERTY 3,536,328

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A TTORNE YS United States ce 3,536,328 Patented Oct. 27, 1970 3,536,328 BOARD GAME APPARATUS Fred P. Finerty, 976 Edgecomb, Covina, Calif. 91722 Filed Oct. 30, 1967, Ser. No. 678,886 Int. Cl. A63f 3/02 U.S. Cl. 273-134 7 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A game which includes a square playing board divided into square playing spaces, an ordinary deck of fty-two cards and two jokers, fifty-two playing pieces carrying indicia identical to that of the cards, fifty-two wild pieces carrying suit indicia identical to the card suits, lia-gs and pennants used in scoring, and a rack for each player. In each corner of the board is a castle made up of a group of playing spaces surrounded by a boundary having two exits. In the `center of the board is a group of spaces surrounded by a boundary with four exits. Certain of the board spaces are designed scoring spaces and have holes for receiving a fiag or a pennant. To start, each players thirteen pieces are positioned in his castle A card is drawn, and the playing piece having indicia corresponding to that on the drawn card may be moved, usually one space at a time. Then another card is drawn, its corresponding space moved, etc. When one players piece captures anothers piece, ythe other piece is removed and stored on a rack. The iirst piece to land on a scoring space places a flag or pennant in that space. When the game is terminated, the Winner is the player with the highest number of points computed by his scoring ags or pen-nants and the captured pieces stored in his rack. The wild pieces and jokers are used for special game situations.

This invention relates to a parlor game apparatus in which one surface of the game board is marked off into a plurality of generally rectangular playing spaces. Fiftytwo playing pieces are provided which bear on their upper surface indicia corresponding to the indicia borne by the cards in an ordinary deck of iifty-two playing cards. A deck of ordinary playing cards, containing at least one joker, is utilized in playing the game. There is a corresponding playing piece for each card in the deck except for the two jokers. Fifty-two wild pieces are provided for use in the game, each of which is marked on its upper surface with one of the four suits in the deck of cards. so that there are thirteen pieces for each suit. There are no individual markings other than the suit on the wild pieces. A number of liags and pennants, individually marked with the four suits, are used in scoring. A rack for holding captured playing pieces and wild pieces is provided. The rack has three tiers or shelves, so that an independent location is provided for each playing piece of the three suits other than that of the player to Whom the rack belongs.

This game is played by placing all fifty-two of the playing pieces on their respective playing spaces as marked on the game board. When so positioned, all of the playing pieces of one suit Will be in one corner inside a regular four-sided castle which is defined by a boundary having at least one opening in it. The cards in the deck are turned over one at a time, and each playing piece is moved as the card corresponding to it is turned over. The joker card has significance only when a playing piece or a wild piece is resting on one of the squares marked on the playing board with a I, as will be explained more fully hereinafter. A playing piece may be maneuvered about the board either diagonally or forwardly toward one or another of the edges of the board, so long as it proceeds in a straight line. The playing pieces may also pass over any number of other playing pieces, providing the other pieces are arranged in a straight line and are of the same suit. A certain strategic advantage in the game is to be gained by arranging the playing pieces in a straight line or battery. Such an arrangement greatly facilitates a movement of playing pieces about the board, because they are able to travel long distances over the battery instead of progressing one space at a time. Also, playing pieces from other suits may be captured by a playing piece which has a value equal to or greater than that of the piece being captured, this value being computed by adding the values of all of the playing pieces in the battery.

Scoring is accomplished by two means, The lirst playing piece to arrive at an unoccupied scoring space on the game board is awarded points. A flag or pennant, bearing the indicia of the suit of the playing piece which first occupies the square, is inserted in a socket on the square and remains there throughout the game. At the end of the game it is possible to count the ags and pennants for each suit and total up the score from this method of scoring for each suit.

The second method of scoring is accomplished by capturing playing pieces of another suit. Whenever a playing piece is captured, the suit which lost the playing piece is allowed to replace it with a wild piece of the same suit. The player who captured the piece from the foreign suit places it in his rack at a location provided for that particular playing piece. Any piece located on a joker square can capture any other piece of a different suit. A playing piece must move off the joker space when the joker card is turned up in the deck of cards.

Advantageously, scorekeeping is automatically accomplished, because when a playing space is captured for the first time, a flag of the capturing suit is placed in the socket on the captured space; and the playing pieces and wild pieces which are captured are placed in a raok by the player who captures them. Counting the flags, pennants, playing pieces, and wild pieces at the end of the game permits the score to be computed.

The wild pieces, which are placed on the board to replace captured playing pieces, may be moved any time a card of their suit, for which there is not a corresponding playing piece on the board, turns up. Thus, these pieces have greater freedom of movement than the regular playing pieces. These pieces must, however, be carefully guarded since if a player loses two wild pieces all the rest of his Wild pieces are taken away from him; and he is not permitted to acquire anymore.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a game board;

FIG. 2 isan elevation of representative pennants;

PIG. 3 is an elevation of representative liags;

FIG. 4 is a perspective View of representative playing pieces;

FIG. 5 is a perspective View of representative wild pieces;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a deck of playing cards; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a rack.

With reference to the accompanying drawing, there is illustrated a game board 10, having on one surface thereof a playing area 12, which is marked off into a plurality of playing spaces 14. On playing area 12 four regular four-sided castles 16, 18 20, and 22 are defined by their respective boundaries 24, 26, 28, and 30. These castle boundaries are provided with openings 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, and 46. The playing spaces Within castles t16, 18, 20, and 22 are marked off with the individual members of each of the four suits from an ordinary deck of playing cards, all of one suit being collected in one castle. Castles 16, 18, 20, and 22 have within their respective boundaries capture spaces 48, S0, 52, and 54. At about the center of playing area 12, there is defined a central area 56 by boundary 58. Boundary 58 is provided with central area boundary openings 60, 62, 64, and 66. Outside of central area 56 and adjacent central area boundary openings 60, 62, 64, and 66, respectively, are provided joker spaces 68, 70, 72, and 74.

Illustrative scoring locations are indicated at 76 and 77. Scoring locations 76 and 77 are provided respectively with sockets 78 and 79 which are adapted to receive and hold the shaft of a pennant or a iiag. A plurality of pennants 80, 82, 84., and 86 are provided for each of the four suits. A plurality of flags 88, 90, 92, and 94 are also provided for each of the suits. These flags and pennants provide a record throughout the course of the game of which playing pieces reached which scoring locations rst. The iiags are assigned higher values than the pennants and are reserved for use at the scoring locations within the castles and central areas.

Illustrative playing pieces 96, 98, 100, and 102 show how these pieces are provided with the individual indicia corresponding to the indicia marked on the playing spaces within the castles 16, 18, 20, and 22 as well as the indicia appearing on a conventional deck of fifty-two playing cards.

An ordinary deck of playing cards is illustrative at 104. The deck utilized in playing the game of this invention includes fifty-two conventional cards with four suits and thirteen cards to each suit. At least one and preferably two jokers are added to this conventional deck of fty-two cards.

Illustrative wild pieces 106, 108, 110, and 112 illustrate how these pieces are marked with the indicia of each of the four suits. Thirteen wild pieces are provided for each of the four suits.

Rack '114 is utilized in keeping an automatic record of the playing pieces and wild pieces captured by the player who controls each rack. Four racks are provided, one for each of the four suits. Also, a tray 116 is provided for keeping the flags and pennants of that suit until they are placed in position on the game board 10. Rack 114 is provided with shelves 118, 120, and 122. Each shelf is adapted to hold all of the thirteen pieces from an opposing player. Each shelf is marked off with this identifying indicia indicated at 124, so that there is a marked location on the rack for each playing piece of every other player. Individual places are provided on shelves 118, 120, and 122 for the first two wild pieces captured from each suit. These locations are provided because of the particular significance in capturing these rst two wild pieces from each suit. Wild piece pigeon holes 126 are provided for placing other captured Wild pieces.

The game board of this invention is preferably one which may be folded into a convenient size with a square playing area divided into 324 playing spaces. With this configuration of the playing area, the castles are conveniently arranged so that they contain within their boundaries iifteen playing spaces each. This provides one vacant capture space in each castle and one vacant space which may be used for the maneuvering of playing pieces within the castle, particularly at the outset of the game. With this configuration of playing area and playing spaces, the central area is preferably square. The boundaries are preferably one playing space thick so that access to the interiors of the castles and the central area is made somewhat less diihcult than with boundaries more than one space thick.

Various modifications may be made in the play of the game, as well as in the game apparatus; but the game will generally be one of great interest and entertainment, which may be enjoyed by persons of various age groups. The game may be played and enjoyed with varying degrees of skill, depending upon the desires and abilities of the players. Various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A game apparatus comprising:

a game board having on one side a regular, four-sided playing area divided into a plurality of playing spaces;

a regular four-sided castle in each corner of said playing area including a plurality of said spaces within the boundary of each of said castles, at least one opening being provided in each of said castle boundaries; central area at about the center of said playing area including a plurality of said spaces within the boundary of said central area, at least one opening being provided in the boundary of said central area; plurality of said spaces being designated as scoring locations and being provided with means for releasably securing score indicating means at said scoring locations;

a deck of playing cards bearing first indicia segregating them into a least two suits, such first indicia being the same for all cards within a suit, the cards of each suit bearing further indicia distinguishing each card within a suit from all the other cards in that suit; plurality of playing pieces adapted to be moved about said playing area responsive to the turn of a playing card from said deck of playing cards, said playing pieces bearing the same individual indicia, respectively, as said playing cards; and

a plurality of wild pieces adapted to be substituted for said playing pieces, said wild pieces bearing indicia corresponding to said rst indicia of said playing cards and being segregated thereby into a least two groups with each group corresponding to the suits of said playing cards, said wild pieces being devoid of any indicia corresponding to said further indicia of said playing cards, there being equal numbers of playing cards, playing pieces, and wild pieces.

2. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein the playing area is generally square.

3. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein each of the castles includes at least thirteen playing spaces within its boundaries.

4. The game apparatus of claim 1 'wherein the central area is square with an opening being provided in each of the four sides of the boundary defining said central area.

5. The game apparatus of clairn 1 wherein at least one scoring location is provided in each of the castles and the central area.

6. The game apparatus of claim 1 wherein the playing cards have four suits with thirteen playing cards in each suit.

7. The game apparatus of claim 1 including a rack having three shelves bearing individual indicia corresponding to the playing pieces.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,311,810 7/1919 Gilmore 273-134 1,591,576 7/1926 Terppe 273-134 2,290,669 7/1942' Bowie 273-134 2,717,156 9/1955 Nelson 273-134 2,750,193 6/1956 Wales 273-134 2,976,044 3/1961 Corpening 273-134 3,427,027 2/1969 Kenyon 273-134 FOREIGN PATENTS 586,817 4/1947 Great Britain.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. XR. 273-148 

